Dazed and Confused
by Static Insanity
Summary: She was different, one in a million, and he was suddenly pulled into a conclusion that there are things he need to discover about this weird specimen of a woman standing before him. Cabbie. UPDATED.
1. Strawberry Milkshake

A/N: Yay! A new fic for a new fandom. I chose to write a Cat/Robbie fic because I really love them together. I don't know why, but I think they really look cute in the show (Matt and Ariana are totes adorbs off set too). Also, I love nerds and sensitive people, so yep. I also plan to have a five or more chapters for this. And sorry if it's a bit OOC. Oh well, here it is. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious and its characters (even though i really want to put Cat inside my pocket). They all belong to the amazing and awesome, Dan the man!

* * *

"Could you treat me a milkshake?" A frowning redhead asked him suddenly that he almost dropped Rex from his grip.

"What?" _Not her again_, he thought wearily_. Especially now that Mamaw thinks we were practically married. _The last time they hang out, his grandmother tried to pester him about trying to get a girl aside from her. Since the time they ran away, she thought that her grandson impregnated Cat and all that jazz. The said news had already reached his mother's ears just before he went home. The thoughts gave him nightmares every night.

"The strawberry one. You know, my mom use to make me drink it when I was young so I could feel a bit happier then I put the straw in it and I would sip it and I could feel the seeds on my tongue until it makes me itchy-"

"Stop. Too much info," he said, confused. Cat suddenly held her breath. "But why me? I'm kind of busy."

"You're not busy," Rex snapped. Cat felt a great jolt of sadness when she saw him shushing his puppet in panic.

"Erm…why don't you ask the others?" He asked quietly.

"Tori and Andre was doing some extra work for Sikowitz, Jade and Beck are too busy making out when I found them in the broom closet and Trina… well, she's too busy being herself. I can't ask Sinjin because he creep me out and he would just show me his bubble-heads. I figured that maybe you're not busy and you could treat me some shakeyberry…"

"Cat, I…" he trailed off when he saw her eyes shining under the light of the school hallway. Was she crying? Hope not, because he has a total weakness for crying girls. Oh god, especially not her.

"Why is everybody so mean to me?" She suddenly burst out, stomping her foot away from him. His stomach suddenly ached with guilt when he watched her march angrily, pushing the other students out of her way.

"The psycho chick is walking out!" Rex said. Robbie grumbled something about 'demon and hate' as he shoved him in his backpack and followed her. His hand caught hers when he finally saw her walking absently alone. Cat shivered in surprise and turned around.

"What do you want?" She shouted frantically, making him frozen on his spot. He couldn't help but notice the light smudges of mascara around her eyes.

"I'm going to treat you a lot of milkshake," he said, resigned. His shoulders relaxed as he saw her lips forming an unmistakable smile. "The strawberry one."

"Yay!" Cat exclaimed vaguely as she held her arms up with glee. She does it all the time, and he never knew how she could change moods faster than he could say her name. _What was up with her?_ She was never the type of girl who flips her hair and makes the boys smell her new perfume. She was different, one in a million, and he was suddenly pulled into a conclusion that there are things he need to discover about this weird specimen of a woman standing before him. But what would his family do if they saw him hanging out with her again? Faint images of his neurotic grandmother pierced his mind yet he grinned despite himself.

"But don't make me drink unless they use soy milk in it," he reminded her, but she seemed to be barely listening. Cat subconsciously snaked her arms around his and dragged him through the noisy cafeteria tables with a wide smile on her face.

* * *

"So…" he started slowly, as he watched her sip her strawberry milkshake from the corners of his eye. "You said you drink those when you're sad."

"Mmm," she said, nodding her head softly while enjoying what's left of her delicious beverage. A little bubble inside the glass caught her attention which made her chuckle through her straw. "The bubble looked like a fairy's head. Look!"

"I can't look at that when you're drinking it," he said, rolling his eyes in disbelief. Why must she find the smallest of things so amusing?

"Aw, you missed it. It's gone," she said, pouting.

"Never mind the bubble, let's talk about you." Cat suddenly choked a little. She had to rub her lungs to keep hold of herself. "Why are you sad a while ago?"

"I…"

"Yes?"

"I can't," she said in a small voice. Robbie felt like he was offended. He treated her big glass of milkshake, anyway. He had to sacrifice half of his lunch money just to make her feel better.

"Since I treated you that shakeyberry of yours, I think you owe me an explanation."

"But…" she said hesitantly, holding her breath as she looked from Robbie and to the empty glass and to him again. "I think- Tori!"

Robbie craned his neck and saw Tori emerging with a tray in her hands. He felt a little disappointed. When will he discover the secrets behind the eccentric and mysterious Cat Valentine?

"Hi Robbie, Hi Cat." Robbie frowned and played with his burrito which he thought was barely there before. Tori looked confused. "Am I disturbing a date or something?"

"We're not dating," he said quickly, avoiding the knowing looks he was getting from the brunette in front of him. Why do all the girls assume a boy and girl dating when they're just sharing a table together? Girls are so confusing.

"Yeah, he just treated me a milkshake. That's all," Cat added, as if it would help Tori from teasing them with her thrown glances.

"You should have tasted it. It's tastes so cute!"

"You cannot taste cute," a voice added and they saw Beck appearing with, of course, Jade beside him, her locks were strikingly more colorful under the sunlight. "And squirrelly is also not a mood really, Cat."

"What do you suppose to mean?" She said as if she felt so violated. Jade groaned loudly as she pulled Beck to sit down beside her, scowling at Tori in the process. Robbie sighed.

"He meant nothing," he said, trying to calm her from her usual emotional spasms. She gave out a deep breath and smiled at him, mouthing an 'I'm okay' before distracting herself with other things he can't even fathom.

"Hey, Andre just texted me something about an upcoming play for Valentine's Day," Tori announced half to herself, her eyes locked on her pearphone. "And he's writing the songs."

"That's awesome!" Cat exclaimed, clasping her hands together at the good news. Of course, Andre would be writing, he was like, one of the best composers of their school; a truly musical genius. "You might get the lead again, Tori! That would be cool!"

"Yeah," Jade said as she drank the last of her soda, "As long as she keeps her dirty paws off my boyfriend."

"I don't have paws!" Tori said defensively, "And I don't know. I think I already had my turn with the last production. I think others should give a try… maybe Cat."

"Ooh wow, that would be fantastic," Cat exclaimed vaguely. "It would be awesome if I could wear a zombie make-up too, but not a zombie make-up, maybe a cat… or a fairy."

"Cat, it is a love story," Robbie said in a matter-of-factly way, "I don't think a cat or a zombie or whatever would stray into that direction."

"Maybe I don't want to kiss you anymore," she said out of nowhere, which earned a collective 'oooh' from the people sitting around them. He felt heat rising up on his face as a mental picture of Cat leaning in and kissing him as she twisted his curly hair between her fingers appeared inside his head.

His reverie vanished when she laughed out loud, mostly to herself. "Your face is funny, I'm just kinda kidding."

Girls are confusing, especially Cat Valentine.

* * *

"Can I sit here?" Cat asked loosely, pointing at a yellow chair where Rex was sitting comfortably on. Robbie looked up and saw her hair velvet red hair gleaming under the lights of the class room. It looked pretty, to be honest.

"Sure, no problem," he said beaming, as he placed Rex, who was cursing audibly, inside his bag. It was actually the first time he gave Rex's seat to Cat. He usually values his puppet's comfort more than hers, but he didn't know what the hell happened with his brain and he decided to be a little friendlier than usual.

Cat gave him a jubilant nod before she turns her attention to their Theatre Arts professor, Mr. Sikowitz. He was an eccentric teacher. He never wore anything formal but some ethnic casual whatever that better fitted someone who goes to a tropical vacation. The coconuts just added to the inference, Robbie thought.

"Today, students, we're going to have discuss about the upcoming annual love fest," Sikowtiz started, his bare feet walking freely on the cold floor. "This is where the freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors will compete for the best original theater production."

"Really?" Tori whispered curiously towards Andre, who was grinning widely beside her.

"Yeah, we won last year. Guess who wrote the songs?" Tori chuckled under her breath as she playfully slapped him on the arm. They did a Victorian-style play where Jade and Beck played the leads. And yes, they won, partly because Trina did an awful mess with her singing voice during the Juniors' play. They thanked Trina after that.

"...so the theme for this year's play fest is…" and everybody stomped the feet enthusiastically. He held his arms up in the air for a dramatic effect. "MODERN!"

"You mean a modern love story?" Tori piped in. Jade groaned loudly at the back. She does it every time Tori asks a 'stupid' question.

"Yes yes, I already told you that," Sikowitz said impatiently, pacing back to his seat at the back, and gripping his coconut with his hands. "Now go and talk about it. Andre, you're in charge. You know the rules."

Everybody gathered at the center rather frantically to face Andre, who was fishing a notebook from his backpack.

"Okay so… we need some ideas for the plot."

"How about something about high school?" Cat suggested, sitting beside Andre. A lot of people murmured in agreement.

"Yeah," Beck agreed, a small smile was evident on his lips. "You know, so a lot of people could relate about it. First love and other cheesy stuff." Jade snaked her arms around him afterwards, smiling. Jade rarely smiles.

"Good idea," Andre said absently, jotting down notes on his notebook. "Tori, could you be my assistant or something? Is that okay for you?"

"No chiz," she shrugged, smiling as she looked over his shoulder and on his notebook. "I could use some of my ideas. I like writing, you know. Only few people know that." Andre grinned and looked around the room, Robbie was sure he saw a twinkle in his eyes. He gets all that twinkly when his mind was processing an ingenious idea.

"Sinjin, you're in charge of the lights. Ally, with the sounds. Ralph, you should gather ten people or more who will work for the props. Mac, you're the boss when it comes to the costumes. This should be grand. We'll step on them like the foot of Zeus!"

"Wait, what about me?" Cat asked a little hopefully, Tori quirked an eyebrow.

"You should take the lead," Tori said merrily. "I already heard you sing, you have a killer voice."

"What do you mean I have a _killer_ voice?"

"She means you have a beautiful voice," Robbie whispered anxiously; spazzy Cat makes him nervous. She suddenly calmed down and said okay with reassurance to her voice. He had to admit that he really like it when she smiles like she doesn't have any care in world. Oh god, _what was he thinking anyway_? He wished Rex was here to slap him four times, maybe five.

"What about the male lead?" Emily, one of their classmates, asked suddenly. "He should have a great chemistry with Cat, so they're pleasing to the eyes during the play."

"Oh yes," Andre said, looking sideways to Robbie, who was appeared to be spacing out. "And he needs to be good with acting and guitar."

"Guitar?" Tori asked, looking confused.

"Yup, milady. He needs to court the lead with a beautiful acoustic song, you know."

* * *

Reviews are love! ;)


	2. Sleepover

**A/N:** Good day! Gosh, thanks for the wonderful feedbacks! I never expected my fic to be received positively, so I'll make sure I'll do better with the next chapters! :)

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own Victorious and its characters. Because if I do, there would be more shirtless Robbie...just kidding. ;)

* * *

**Sleepover**

* * *

"Me? Why me?" Robbie asked, looking perplexed to Andre. It was already lunch break. He wanted to punch Andre but he found it really hard since the six of them were crammed sharing a single table, the majority of the seat was occupied by his keyboard. Really, he never knew the six of them would be sharing a table at lunch together. He was so used to be sitting only by himself or with Cat or Andre or sometimes Beck.

"Because I want to."

"That's not a valid reason!" He snapped furiously. "Why don't you cast Beck? Or arrange auditions."

"Sorry dude, I already got the lead role last year," he said shrugging. Robbie groaned in frustration. "And there's no time for casting calls."

"And it's time for you to shine," Tori crooned as she clapped Robbie's back for support. "Come on, you can do it!"

"Yeah, shine, whatever," he said, looking a little disappointed. "I'm just... I don't think my voice is good enough. Like, come on, they say I'm horrible. Ms. Shneebles said so."

Ms. Shneebles was their music teacher.

"Not really, Robbie. You're actually good," Cat piped in. He suddenly felt his stomach doing a somersault when her voice reached his ears. He was never used to hearing compliments from girls. They made him…queasy and other stuff. "I heard you sing down the hallway last week. I'm sure it was you, but I thought it was Rex at first… but it doesn't sound so Rex."

He let out a frustrated whimper before he gulped down his beverage. Robbie = 0, World= 1.

"Come on, please! It's going to be easy. You're a great actor," Tori whined, looking hopefully at him. He hates it when a person, especially a girl, is very persuasive. He just tends to give in.

"And a singer," Cat added vaguely, beaming at him. Then she decided to keep herself busy with her carrot cupcake. "And hey Robbie, I tried rubbing a frog's head but it jumped at me."

"Fine," he said as he held his hand up as a sign of defeat. "I'll do it. I will. I'm Robbie Shapiro, anyway: the most awesome thing that happened in here."

"That's supposed to be my line!" A familiar voice echoed. They all looked around and saw Trina Vega, her arms on her hips, looking a little offended. "I'm the awesome thing here!"

"We know that, Trina," Tori said lazily as she watched Trina fuming towards them. "Why are you here anyway? Are you supposed to be sitting with the… A-listers?"

"I'm upset," she said, her eyebrows furrowing with frustration. "They don't want to give me the lead role. I mean, hello! They're missing such great talent!"

Robbie heard a soft giggle beside him. He looked sideways and saw Cat looking down on her empty plate and laughing gently, half to herself. Strangely, his worries about the upcoming play subsided.

* * *

He stood in front of his large vintage mirror to check his reflection for one last time. It was a movie night with some of his friends and he decided to settle with a plaid polo shirt and jeans. There was no reason to groom up anyway, was there? It's not like he had a smokin' hot date or something.

"Robbie! Your girlfriend is here!"

"Girlfriend? I don't have-oh crap."

He hurriedly went downstairs and saw her mother looking at him, her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised. She still thought there was something going on between them. She asks him every day about her, it almost makes him sick.

"Don't do anything nasty," his mom said firmly as she walked towards the kitchen. Robbie rolled his eyes.

"She's just a friend, ma!" He sourly opened the door and found himself standing in front of a beautiful girl who was wearing black skirt paired with a lavender sweater. Her magenta hair was gently swept by the night breeze.

"I told you I'm going to fetch you," he said as he hurriedly stepped out of his house and dragged her away from it. The wind was unusually colder than usual and he could feel tingles on the back of his neck. "And I'm glad you wore a sweater tonight."

"Yeah, but my brother told me you called and you wanted me to come over here, so I tried to ask a lot of people where you exactly live," she said as she tried to keep pace with him. A frown appeared on her face. "I guess my brother fooled me again. I hate it when he does that."

"Just don't do that again, okay? It's totally dark in here; don't risk yourself by going out alone!"

"Thanks for the concern," she said brightly, squeezing his arm. "I don't know you're really that kind."

"Well, I don't know it too," he said under his breath that she could barely hear it. "Besides, my parents think there something going on between us. They think we're engaged or something."

"Your family is funny; we're just friends for goodness' sake!"

"Totally, I think it's a little hereditary because my mom and Mamaw think exactly the same." He scrunched up his nose because of the thought. She shot him a weird look. "What?"

"I hope you don't think about that too, since you said it was hereditary."

"No of course," he said laughing, as if it was the most ridiculous thing that he heard. What a liar, he thought. He sometimes thinks about it too. He can't help it, okay? _Not since they've already shared a kiss_. "Not ever. That's crazy."

They spent walking towards Tori's house in awkward silence. Robbie resorted himself into looking at his shoes, but sometimes he can't help but steal a glance towards her direction, curious about what she was doing. Then he suddenly remembered the time they spent a while ago. The milkshake, the sadness: he still doesn't know why she came for help to him and what the cause of her problems is. Robbie was about to open his mouth to ask her when she suddenly spoke, in a small voice.

"My hands are freezing."

"Why don't you rub them together? Everybody does that, obviously," he suggested heedlessly. She tried to put her palms together and rub them like stones. Robbie expected her to smile but she frowned instead.

"It's not working. It just makes my hands worse."

He raised his hands and realized that he wasn't wearing any gloves to offer her. Who would have thought the night would be surprisingly cold, anyway? Cat tried various ways of helping herself (including putting her left hand on her non-existent left pocket) but she failed every time, rambling under her breath. She should have bought her favorite jacket, and the thought of it made her extremely upset. Robbie spent a few minutes glancing to and fro her direction, getting increasingly distracted by her irritated expressions and occasional squeaks. He groaned; he couldn't take it anymore. It's time for the last option.

"Give me your hand," he said, slightly exasperatedly. She reached her left hand and he took it, entwining his fingers with hers. He could almost feel the piercing coldness of her hand dying against his. The feel of her touch made him realize that this wasn't bad after all. "You could put your right hand in your pocket. Is this okay?"

"Better," she said, unconsciously squeezing his hand a little harder. "Thanks. I envy your hands, they're so warm. Good thing Rex isn't here."

"Why?" he asked, curiously. He almost had forgotten about Rex, who was still carelessly stashed inside his bag back at home.

"Because he'll just make me feel bad."

He spent the rest of their little walk feeling angry at himself for making her feel awful. Let's face it, Robbie is Rex, Rex is Robbie. Being a shy and socially awkward person, he uses his ventriloquist dummy to express himself. At first, he was surprised people actually believed that Rex is a whole other persona. It actually amused him to see people making faces every time Rex says something, until now. Seeing as he actually hurt Cat for his off-handed remarks, everything about him and Rex made him want to throw up.

"Cat…" he started. She looked up; her happy brown eyes were piercing him like daggers, making it more difficult for him to tell her the truth. He opened his mouth but it felt like his tongue rolled down his throat.

"It's okay if you want your hand back now; I think we're almost near Tori's house anyway."

"It's not that," he said, shaking his head. "Just… never mind."

* * *

"Mom," he called through his phone hopefully. "I'm going to spend the night here."

"And why is that, mister?" her mother's voice sounded icy on the other line. He felt a lump in his throat when he heard a faint familiar old voice rambling loudly in the background. What the heck was Mamaw doing in there, anyway? Probably asking for technical support, he thought. One of his worst days was when Brenda told his grandmother that the cable was actually cut off and she needs to replace it. Screw Brenda and her teddy bear.

"We still need to brainstorm about the play, and I'm kind of needed." He could almost see his mother raising her eyebrows. He added for good measure, "Don't worry, the boys would be sleeping on a separate room."

There was a long pause. "Fine." Robbie let out a breath that he never thought her held. "Just… stay away from her!"

"I will, mom," he said halfheartedly before he ended the call. "I wonder why they're all so worked up about her…"

"Robbie," Tori called from the living room. She was sitting just beside Beck and Andre who appeared to be engaged in a very animated discussion. The gang was, after all, determined to finish the script and other plans for the play tomorrow morning, so that they could start rehearsals and props making during the afternoon. A while ago, they were watching snippets of high school movies and other chick flicks that didn't appeal to any of the boys. They were supposed to get some pointers from the movies they've watched, and now they had a long list of ideas to work on. "Come here."

Without missing a beat, he walked back into the living room and sat opposite her. Tori was wearing a loose shirt and a plaid pajama bottom, her hair was tied in a messy bun. Even though she didn't have any make up on, he still found her really pretty; he kind of like her because she's the polar opposite of her abrasive sister. Well, he like girls generally.

"Could you read this along with Cat?" she asked, handing him a thin pile of paper.

"You already finished the script?" he said, surprised.

"Not really. It's just a draft of the first half. Where's Cat anyway?"

"I'm here!" Cat said brightly as she walked towards them, holding a tray of cupcakes. The room suddenly smelled of strawberries. Tori looked up, her face contorted in confusion.

"What are those?"

"Strawberry cupcakes!" she said, settling the tray on the table. "I saw strawberries in your kitchen as well as flour so Jade and I decided to bake."

"But that's my aunt's strawberries!"

"We don't really care if it's your aunt's or mom's or dog's," Jade said as she took a bite from her cupcake and sat between Andre and Beck. "So how's the script goin'?"

"I think it's okay," Tori said as she handed the other script to Cat. "Could you guys try to read scene 2?"

"Okay."

Robbie inhaled deeply. "Effie, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," Cat said, shaking her head vigorously. "Just reading…"

"No you're not, you're staring at him."

"What if I do?"

"You can't-"

"That sounds so wrong," Jade interrupted.

"I think it is," Beck agreed. The rest of them, except Tori, slowly nodded in agreement.

"What am I going to do?" Tori asked, looking livid. No one answered. "I think the stress getting into us. We should call it a day."

"Right," Andre said, stretching his arms. "Where's the boys' room?"

"Third room on the left upstairs-Jade!"

"What?" She asked lazily as she entwined her arms with Beck's.

"You're going to sleep with the girls!"

"Fine," Jade said indignantly as she followed Tori upstairs, and blew her boyfriend a kiss just before they disappeared. Beck and Andre followed them, leaving Robbie sitting on the carpeted floor alone.

"Aren't you going to bed?" Andre asked, stopping his tracks to face Robbie.

"Nah, I'm not sleepy."

"Okay, good night buddy," Andre said as he resumed going upstairs. Beck half-smiled at him before he followed Andre.

"Be a good boy!"

"Ugh, okay," Robbie said, rolling his eyes. _Alone again_, he thought. It was the best time to think about things and eat the rest of the untouched strawberry cupcakes on the table. His mind suddenly drifted away from reality as he leaned on the couch. He suddenly remembered Cat, and how her hand was clasped against his a while ago.

"What the hell," he grunted as he slapped himself. Why should he be thinking about her anyway? He never liked her. She was, like, the weirdest person he knew when he first stepped foot in Hollywood Arts. And since then, a day never passed without him trying to tease her using Rex. But things actually changed when Tori came. She actually brought the six of them closer together, something that Robbie never expected to happen. Now, they were like a nice circle of friends. Of course, the circle included Cat Valentine. He hated to admit it, but he actually found her company not really that bad. She wasn't really that weird as he assumed she was.

She was actually kind of wonderful and bubbly and… other stuff.

"Good night, Robbie," a voice said lazily just behind him. He turned and saw Cat standing sleepily. He realized that she had just emerged from the kitchen, since she was holding a tall glass of pink milk. Probably strawberry milk, he thought. The hairs on his arms surprisingly stood when she smiled at him. Her smile was so contagious that he brought his lips into an unmistakable beam.

"Sweet dreams, Cat."

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! Have you guys seen Robarazzi? I think Cat is really hilarious there. Robbie was a bit of an ass but at least he actually redeemed himself by doing a cooking show instead! And gosh, I'm still a bit shock because of the ending. I mean really? lol.

BTW, Reviews are love! :)


	3. Velvet Dreams

I'm really sorry for the whole year delay. School's been getting in the way and well, I really have not much time to catch up with my internet life. But here you go, hope you guys like it. :) And I just realized that I was nominated and won in the Victorious Awards. Awww, thanks guys. I'm speechless and guilty that I haven't updated this for a long time and... aww. But I promise to finish this for all of you. Thanks for the support! :)

* * *

**Velvet Dreams**

"What do you think about the bench, Robbie?" She asked as she scratched her chin absently, then looking over her shoulder to see Robbie staring blankly into space. "Should it be green…or brown?"

"Hmm… I say the blue one," he said absently as he dipped his brush into the wrong can…again. Cat shook her head in disbelief.

"I didn't say anything about blue. Is your brain in a fuzz today? Do you have a problem, Robbie?"

_You_, he thought_. You've been plaguing my mind all day!_

Ever since the day he treated her-rather forcefully-a milkshake, everything spiraled into an alternate universe where they were the best of chums. He was actually surprised by the fact that he almost spent his lunch sitting beside her, getting to the next class walking beside her, detention with her, everything. It was like his hip was attached to hers, like Jade mentioned yesterday.

Take Monday for example. He was unusually slow in fixing his things in his locker, and the next thing he knew, he was walking side by side with a jolly Cat towards Improv class. After Improv class, he actually waited for her to gather her things before they head to History. The cycle goes on and on, and he didn't even have a stinkin' clue about his sudden change in behavior and his sudden fondness with the redhead.

Also, since then, he rarely takes Rex to school and the daily 'Hit on Tori' routine is more and more ignored. He even dreamed of bouncing red velvet cupcakes last night. Like, _what the hell was that supposed to mean?_

Could it be? God, this is so not happening. It was either he was brainwashed or attracted to Cat.

He slapped himself. _No, you're not attracted to her! It would just get you in trouble. Big chiz. Would you like to be disowned? _Besides, Cat would never ever take a second look at him. Right? Most girls don't anyway, except for Brenda. He learned that the hard way with Trina and some girls…

So he decided to convince himself that it was all a pathetic brainwash and she was just a friend. A nice and beautiful but weird friend.

"You're so cute when you space out." Her voice reverberated in his ears, making him feel all jumpy like Caffeine. "I mean, it's like you're watching an invisible movie."

"Sorry, I'm just upset with—" and he bit his tongue before he could blurt out her name. His ears were turning scarlet. She looked at him, both curious and confused.

"Huh?" she asked, stepping a little closer.

"Nothing," he squeaked,"Just really nervous about the play, I guess."

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. We'll win this thing," she said reassuringly, flashing him a smile that he knew he couldn't resist. He smiled at her and went back to his paint brush. They needed to finish the backdrop before the next class starts.

* * *

"Hey Robbie, why aren't you with your girlfriend?" Jade asked as she ripped open a little pack of sugar and poured it into her coffee. He suddenly choked in his burrito. It still surprises him even though it was almost asked every single day.

"She's not my girlfriend," he said crossly. "And she's in the library."

"Still in the Nile River, then?"

"Shut up!"

"Touché," Jade said happily before she became engrossed with her coffee bun. She liked all things coffee. Robbie scowled and slapped his forehead. _Why wouldn't anyone cut him some slack about her?_ Especially Jade, who most of the time didn't care about his entirety.

"What's up?" Tori had just popped in the scene along with Andre. They were holding piles of young adult books and a bag of potato chips. They just came from the library researching about some influences for their upcoming play.

"Hi Tori. Nice hair," he said almost too quickly. Of course, this would distract everyone from their sordid penchant for rooting him with Cat. But before he shut his mouth, "Why is Cat not with you?"

"Oh, she decided to stay there. She's having 'advanced reading' in Calc and Physics," Andre said, rolling his eyes as he sat beside him. Robbie crinkled his nose in confusion.

"Advanced reading? If it's for the finals in two months then she must be crazy," Jade said wearily.. "Well, she's already one, so I'm not really surprised."

"You're so rude to her," Tori whimpered while opening the big bag of potato chips for everyone to eat, "Would someone get her and Beck? We need to discuss the final script so that we could assign everything tomorrow."

"I'll get Beck," Jade said.

"I'll get Cat," Robbie said before he could stop himself. Andre gave him a knowing look before he stood up. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied with a grin, "The chips are nice."

"uhhh… okay," Robbie said as he followed Jade awkwardly out of the Asphalt Café.

The journey through the old, dusty library was quite silent. Robbie was whistling some familiar tune until he saw a head full of red velvet locks at the farthest corner of the library. His heart suddenly raced as he tiptoed towards her. Cat was, undoubtedly, reading a thick book which he suspected as something from the Mathematics section of the room.

"What are you doing, reading those?" He asked, gaining his composure back when he noticed that she was too busy to look at him. Those eyes…

"Nothing. Just leisure reading," she said absently as she turned from page to page.

"Leisure-you don't read Calculus just for fun!" He can't even wrap his brain around it. Cat, whose attention span is shorter than his well-maintained fingernails, was reading Calculus for leisure. Something fishy was really going on. "You're not going to take a test outside school, are you?"

"Of course not!" She gasped, closing the book tightly. "How could you say that?"

"I…uh… nothing. Just me being paranoid," he said defensively, his ears turning scarlet. "But don't ever do that, okay? I mean, you know, go to a different school or something."

"Why?" There was a sort of sparkle in her eyes as she waited for an answer. She looked a little excited and confused, he didn't know. Everything seemed like a blur for him these past few days, as if she seemed to have changed. Or better yet, he was learning more about Cat Valentine.

"Because" _maybe I'll miss you. Maybe I want to get to know you more. _

But that didn't roll off his tongue. Never. Not yet.

"Because we have a play to win," he said, finally. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw Cat nodding intently, and smiling as if like nothing was wrong or weird about him. "And I think we really need to go back to the café right now. We need to work on the script stat."

"Nice! Okay," she said and let out a giggle as she stood up and reached for his hand.

Running along the corridor holding hands was never the best the idea when you're trying to tell everyone that you're just friends. It was Cat's fault; he kept on saying to Jade as they made their way towards their next class. Of course, Jade didn't buy it.

"Oh come on, curly fries, of course you like it," she said smirking as she pulled Sinjin out of her 'chair'.

"I did not," he said, rolling his eyes. His ears were slowly turning beet red of embarrassment. "And don't you call me _curly fries_ ever again!"

"Since when did you become denial king, Robbie? And where the hell is your doll anyway?"

"Rex is not-he's at home, okay?" he said, looking resigned. He suddenly realized that he already left Rex at home for almost a week, and he didn't even missed him at all. "I just don't feel like bringing him to school."

"Like I really care why."


	4. Some Girl

Sorry for the really long delay. I'm entering college now and I'm having a difficult time adjusting. I'm gonna finish this I promise!

* * *

**Some Girl**

There were no noise in the room except for the uneven breathing of a curly-haired boy and the little strums from his old guitar. Robbie went to the Auditorium for some alone time; he felt as if his mind was going to explode with all the 'stress' he was having. The upcoming play and the fact that he was the lead were making him unusually nervous. He didn't know why; he's used to acting in front of a large audience with much gusto and confidence. But this, he thought, was different. Maybe the fact that Cat Valentine will play as his love interest and his weird new-found feelings isn't much of a help to calm his nerves.

He wished to step down from the responsibility and play a supporting role instead; maybe a farmer or a tree swaying at the back. But no, it was wrong. There's something- he can't point his finger to it- that tells to go on with the flow and leave it be. So he decided to accept the role, and all of its responsibilities, anyway. Some girls might notice his manly charm during the play and he might score some dates afterwards. Hmmm, he thought it was a very nice plan.

"Who has two thumbs up and is a genius? Me!" He said to an invisible audience in front of him. He didn't care; being alone was nice and easy for once in a while. It was kind of relaxing to be alone and strumming with his guitar. He might come up with a new song. The smile on his face was unmistakably silly and large.

"Who has two thumbs up and is a red head? Me!" A giddy voice echoed from the door that made his heart thump a little loudly. His smile faltered when he realized that Cat was already walking towards him, a grin was plastered in her face. He wanted to be away from people, especially from _her._

"What are you doing here?" He asked fretfully, but that didn't stop him from staring at her bubbly face. It made him feel like sinking and flying at the same time. Is that even possible? No. Stupid Robbie.

She was wearing a purple dress that reminded him of the dresses he passes by every time his mother drags him with her at Macy's. Cat may not have a model's figure but sure as hell that dress looked good on her, he thought. Her ruby red hair was cascading down her shoulders rather gracefully. He never actually thought about it before but Cat is actually a pretty young woman, not some bipolar girlie he would like to make fun of every now and then. She was altogether a pleasant thing to look at. She doesn't look annoying and crazy anymore.

"Tori told me to rehearse the lines with you. I already have your script!" She giddily sat opposite him, handing him a green clear book. "It's already finished. They decided to make a modern version of _Some Kind of Wonderful._"

"That movie of John Hughes? That's nice," he responded absently, the proximity of her was actually making him a little uncomfortable. The auditorium seemed warmer and smaller than before. She smelled of strawberries, the kind that makes him want to crave for strawberry soy cupcakes. But mostly, it wants to make him crave for her…

What the flippin' hell? Get a grip, Robbie.

"Okay, let's try this scene," she said thoughtfully as she flipped the pages of her clear book. She was as clueless as a window of what she could do to the boy in front of her. God, he was even clueless himself. But she's a friend, and he's being a professional. He must wave these hormones off and practice with her. "Robbie, go to page twenty-seven. In one…two…three…"

"Emily," he said, trying to sound as manly as possible, "What are you doing here?"

"Do you think Shelly's going to meet you here?" She asked, trying to project sadness and anxiety in her eyes. "She's going to bail on you."

"How did you know? You're not her. You don't know her."

"She won't love you, Daniel."

"What is up with you?" He was already standing, imitating her. They were in the middle of the stage, reading their lines. It's as if people were watching them. He cannot see Emily, the boyish best friend of Daniel who was secretly in love with him. All he can see was Cat, her red hair, brown eyes, and pretty face. But no, he doesn't want to end up like Sybil Vane. He must concentrate. "You come here in this club to tell me she doesn't love me? That's very nice of you then."

"Do you miss me, Daniel? Do you miss being around me?"

"But this is not third grade anymore. Emily, we're grown ups."

"I don't think we should see each other, Daniel," she said, taking a step forward. Her eyes were looking alternately on the script and him. "I think it's best we shouldn't hang out anymore."

"Why?"

She took a step further. She was so close that he could already reach her with his hands.

"Because I'm driving you crazy and you're driving me crazy… and I can't afford to have you hate me, Daniel. All I care about in this world is me, my drums, and you."

There were tears on her eyes. It was amazing how she was in character so easily. That's what Sikowitz love about her best. He says that she really suits characters full of sadness and pathos, which she took as an insult of course.

He took another step forward, just as the script was telling him to do so. She should walk away, but no, she stayed frozen on the spot. She must have been carried away by the emotions. He reached to cup her face (and no, it's not on the script either) and looked at her quite swollen eyes. There was some sort of invisible force that made him lean forward to kiss her…

"I don't think it's part of the script, Robbie…" she said slowly, her breath was hot against his. He pulled his hand away from her, shaking from the fact that she pointed him out.

"I…I thought…" and he was backing away from her, speechless and mortified. What excuse should he say? This is totally embarrassing. "I think I misread it. Now that I remember, I have ballet classes. Good bye, Cat!"

And he strapped his guitar on his side and ran away as fast as he can, his heart sinking at the fact that he almost kissed Cat Valentine. The hallway seemed empty at that moment, and all he could hear were the sound of his shoes and hitching of his breath. _Where's Rex when you need him?_ Oh right, he left him at home, tucked in his bed. He almost forgot about the little fellow now that someone's already infecting his mind. He shook his head at the realization as he turned to the left, towards the lockers. Little did he know that Andre was standing right in front of his locker and he bumped in to him.

"Whoa, what are you in the rush for? We dropped out ballet classes, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Robbie said breathlessly. "I'm sorry, Andre. I'm such a mess. I couldn't…ahhh." And he collapsed beside the lockers, looking defeated.

"Seriously, man up. What's wrong?" Andre sat beside his best friend.

"I'm not Robbie anymore…" he wheezed as he stopped twisting and turning on the floor, just like he always does when he was clueless and helpless. "And I don't know what to do with Ca-this girl!"

"Who's 'THE GIRL'?"

"She doesn't go here," he lied. Admitting that he's afraid of Cat would be the end of his social life. He couldn't afford anyone knowing this, especially Jade. He had to hide this even from Andre, for extra measure. "I met her in a comic convention."

"Oh," Andre said. "So what's up with her?"

"She's a friend, you see. And I like her, but I can't like her. She's like the last person I should like 'because she's weird and my family would surely don't like her."

"That sounded like Cat Valentine."

"No, not Cat Valentine. Andre, are you kidding me?"

"Sorry," he said, "I thought you like Cat. But fine, I believe you. Tell you what, if you like a girl, you like a girl. I've had the same thing with this girl, and well…I tried not acting like a little child and I have her now."

"Wait, you have a girlfriend?" Robbie sat up, looking confused. "How did I miss that piece of information…is that Tori?"

"Tori's my best friend, you know that," Andre said, looking down at his shoes. Robbie thought he sensed a trace of sadness in his voice. "That girl, well…we're not really together yet but we hang out a lot and she said she likes me."

"That's nice of you then, Andre. So are you saying that I have to man up or something? I think I can do that."

"Of course you can. This is like the first time I saw you really scared of a girl. You're usually the one who's being too front about everything!"

"I guess she's not just some girl." he said with a sigh, more like to himself.


End file.
